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Thursday, 8 November 2018

Home invasion: Four policemen arrested, Ekweremadu may release CCTV footage

The police have arrested and detained four of its personnel and one NSCDC personnel on duty when the alleged assassination attempt on deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, took place.

Police spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, said on Wednesday that the officers were being investigated.

Moshood said there was no cover-up by the police in the investigation of the crime.

“The four policemen and one personnel of the NSCDC on duty at the residence of the deputy senate president at the time of the incidence have been arrested and detained,” he said.

He said it was not correct that the police responded after seven hours when the incident happened.

The spokesman said further investigation shows that the incident was not an assassination attempt on the life of Ekweremadu.

“Update on further investigation did not reveal assassination attempt but a burglary attempt,” he said.

He said the investigation carried out so far showed that the suspects in the case did not have an idea that the residence belongs to the deputy senate president.

Moshood said efforts are being intensified to arrest the second suspect, Dan Ali, who escaped from the scene of the crime.

Speaking to journalists, the principal suspect, Mohammed Yusuf, 25, said they only went there to steal and not to assassinate him.

“We did not go to the residence of Ekweremadu to assassinate him or anybody in the house,” he said.

He said he has been into the act of stealing for five years without using a gun, adding that his colleague (Dan Ali) escaped while he was caught.

Meanwhile, Ekweremadu has threatened to release CCTV footage of his home invasion after the police described the incident as burglary.

Ekweremadu said he will make good on his threat if the police do not withdraw their statement.

On Tuesday, the deputy senate president said there was an attempt to assassinate him. One of the gunmen was caught and handed over to the police.

The police said they arrived at the burglary conclusion because the same suspects who invaded the home of the deputy senate president also burgled other homes.

But Enyinnaya Abaribe, senator representing Abia south, drew the attention of his colleagues to the police statement and called for a thorough investigation.

After Abaribe raised the issue, Ekweremadu said the police could not figure out the CCTV at his home when they eventually came.

“They (police) looked at the CCTV tapes operated by the DSS and a staff of my house; apparently they were not able to figure it out. So, it was easy for them to quickly dismiss what really happened,” he said.

“Unfortunately for them, later yesterday evening, a technician came and was able to figure out and was able to produce the CCTV footage, including how they gained entrance into my house and how they got a way into my room and the fight between them, my wife and my son and all the efforts we made to save our lives. I am happy that we have that in our custody, which the police is not aware of.

“I may now be forced to release those footage to the media, international communities so that Nigerians and ordinary people will judge whether it was a case of burglary or attempt to kill me or whether they just want to come to my house to have a breakfast or have a handshake with me.”